Pancreatic cancer researchers find a triple therapy that eliminated tumors in mice

Researchers at Spain’s CNIO reported in PNAS that a three-drug combination removed pancreatic tumors in mice and appeared to prevent resistance; the team says clinical testing is not yet possible.

Researchers at Spain's National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) reported a new triple therapy that removed pancreatic tumors in mice. Pancreatic cancer is often detected late and is difficult to treat, in part because most tumors carry KRAS mutations and commonly develop resistance to single-agent drugs. The CNIO protocol combines an experimental KRAS inhibitor, a protein degrader, and an approved lung cancer drug to target KRAS at three points. The study was published in PNAS, and the researchers cautioned that translating the approach to patients will be complex and not immediate. Key findings: - The triple combination reportedly eliminated pancreatic tumors in mice with minimal side effects, according to the PNAS report. - The approach pairs an experimental KRAS inhibitor with a protein degrader and a lung cancer medication to target KRAS in three ways. - KRAS mutations are present in roughly 90% of pancreatic cancers and tumors often become resistant to single-target treatments. - CNIO researchers said they are not yet in a position to start clinical trials and that moving the therapy into human testing will be challenging. Summary: The mouse results suggest a potential method to avoid rapid resistance to KRAS-targeted drugs and to improve tumor control in preclinical models. The research team emphasized that clinical testing has not started and that further validation and development are required. Undetermined at this time.